Perisama lebasii ambatensis Oberthür, 1916 (Zubek & Wahlberg & Boyer & Lorenc-Brudecka & Mahecha-J & Pyrcz, 2025)

Zubek, Anna, Wahlberg, Niklas, Boyer, Pierre, Lorenc-Brudecka, Jadwiga, Mahecha-J, Oscar & Pyrcz, Tomasz, 2025, Integrative taxonomy, phylogeny and distribution patterns of the diverse Neotropical cloud forest butterfly genus Perisama Doubleday (Nymphalidae, Biblidinae, Callicorini), Zootaxa 5636 (1), pp. 1-34 : 12

Perisama lebasii ambatensis Oberthür, 1916 stat. rev.

Perisama ambatensis was originally described by Oberthür (1916) as a species, but was reduced to the rank of a subspecies of Perisama lebasii (Guérin-Ménéville, [1844]) by Lamas (2004), then its specific status was reinstated by Attal and Crosson-du-Cormier (2010). It can be distinguished from P. lebasii lebasii by the absence of a spearhead shaped protuberance in the extension of the green FWD cubital ray. Perisama hilara Salvin, 1869 was also described as a species. It was regarded as a subspecies of P. lebasii by Lamas (2004), and its specific status was reinstated, again, by Attal & Crosson-du-Cormier (2010). Its most prominent distinguishable character is the presence of generally small greyish-blue dots on the HWD ( Fig. 5 ). This taxon can be easily confused with P. ambatensis . The comparison of large series of specimens allows to notice that the HWV internal, median line is more sinuous in P. hilara than in P. ambatensis , but individual variation is relatively important which sometimes makes their taxonomic identification difficult. P. hilara is relatively uncommon and reported from southern Peru and northern Bolivia. Our phylogenetic analysis shows that P. hilara , P. ambatensis and P. lebasii form a common clade, and their relative genetic distances do not exceed 1.5%. Since there are no significant differences in male genitalia morphology ( Fig. 6 ) and there is no evidence of their sympatry, P. hilara and P. ambatensis are formally considered here, as proposed by Lamas (2004), as subspecies of P. lebasii .

Figures

FIGURE 5. Morphological diversity of the wing pattern of male Perisama lebasii; top—dorsal wing surface; bottom—ventral wing surface. A) P. l.lebasii, La Bonita, Sucumbios, Ecuador; B) P. l. astuta type specimen, Popayan, Purace, Colombia; C) P. l. ambatensis stat. nov. San Francisco, Tungurahua, Ecuador; D) P. l. phenix stat. nov. El Tambo, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador; E) P. l. hilara stat. nov.

FIGURE 6. Male genitalia of Perisama lebasii with detached aedeagus and hypandrium. A) P. l. astuta (El Retiro, Antioquia, Colombia); B) P. l. ambatensis stat. nov. (Cordillera Lagunillas, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador) C) P. l. hilara stat. nov. (Quebrada La Lora, Junin, Peru).